Connecting to only almost-50% may win elections, but in organizations?
Feel what you may about the election results (and folks are certainly feeling many ways) there’s a powerful lesson to be gained here. If people don’t feel like you are speaking to them and their needs, they aren’t going to follow you. Now, in an election, victory can be achieved even though only almost-50% of the people may not feel they are being spoken to, their needs addressed, their concerns legitimized. A country can continue to function, although rather sluggishly, if only almost-50% of the people don’t feel as they are being spoken to, their needs addressed and their concerns legitimized. Well, that’s politics. What about our organizations? Can an organization:
- achieve success if only almost-50% of employees feel valued?
- grow if only almost-50% of employees feel cared about?
- tap into the latent talent, skills, and knowledge their employees possess if only almost-50% of employees feel that they matter?
Perhaps. However, a more likely outcome is that the organization will struggle, lose talent, experience turnover, and may eventually become irrelevant. So, unlike politics where keeping only almost-50% of the people feeling ignored can ensure victory or defeat, in our organizations, keeping only almost-50% of the people feeling ignored will surely have defeatist consequences.
That is why it is so important that organizations maintain the Three Pillars of Exceptional Communication, TRUST, EMOTIONS, and REASON, when communicating with their employees, colleagues, co-workers, stakeholders, superiors, and subordinates. An organization’s communication practices are most effective when they allow folks to:
- view the organization as trustworthy
- have more positive emotional experiences with the organization than negative ones
- view the organization as reasonable and rational
To do this, the organizational personnel need to have the ability to communicate beyond what is comfortable and typical for them, so as to connect to those they otherwise may unintentionally alienate. Having significantly more than 50% of folks feeling valued and cared about will significantly increase the probability that the organization will grow, thrive, and prosper. Unlike politics, where directly addressing only almost-50% of people can prove just enough for success, for an organization, it’s simply not enough. If this election has demonstrated anything, it’s how speaking to only almost-50% may leave only almost-50% feeling happy, while it leaves only almost-50% feeling…well…not how you want them feeling if you want your organization to find continued success.